Material sets the route

Carvers may place a vivid patch at a leaf tip, reserve thickness for relief or work around a visible feature. Good observation asks how the design uses variation rather than assuming every irregularity is concealed.

Polished Olmec jadeite celt-pendant, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

Relief, edge and polish

Inspect transitions between high and low relief, drilled openings, thin edges and recessed polish. Crisp detail is not the only aim; coherent rhythm and safe thickness matter in a tough but scratchable material.

Emerald-green jadeite pendant from Qing-dynasty China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

Motif without overclaiming

A gourd, ruyi, bamboo or leaf may carry familiar modern associations. The same form can be decorative, personal or historically specific. Describe what is visible first, then label symbolic readings as interpretations rather than scientific properties of the stone.

Maya jadeite pendant with seated lord, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

Research basis

Independently written from public information supplied by GIA, Smithsonian and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIA · Smithsonian · The Met